Anger after senators vote down ACT's right to legalise euthanasia

A Canberra man living with a debilitating autoimmune disease has lashed senators who sank an attempt to restore the territories' powers to legalise euthanasia, saying he wants those who voted down the bill to be at his beck and call when he is eventually bedridden.

Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm's bill to restore territory rights was defeated by two votes on Wednesday night, after two days of intense and emotional debate.

David Walker is angry the Senate voted not to restore territory rights because of concerns about minimal safeguards. He says that argument is a cop out. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

Many senators, including ACT Liberal Senator Zed Seselja, said they were not convinced the ACT and Northern Territory parliaments could devise a system with enough safeguards to protect vulnerable people from being coerced into assisted suicide.

"Does anyone really believe that laws passed by 13 Labor and Greens members of the ACT assembly, with no house of review, would be anything but an even more extreme version of the Victorian law with fewer safeguards?" Senator Seselja said.

Advertisement

Senator Seselja accused Senator Leyonhjelm of hoping the ACT would deliver a "a no-holds-barred version of assisted suicide", and said the territory government would move quickly to legalise euthanasia if the restrictions were lifted.

Australian Conservatives Senator Cory Bernardi went further, suggesting the ACT's "left-leaning council administrators" would bring in extreme assisted dying laws that would be available to children.

"If you were to question how it will end up should you empower the ACT with euthanasia legislation or state-assisted dying legislation, look no further than what is happening in some of the most radical regimes around the world," Senator Bernardi said.

"In Belgium, three children have been put to death under euthanasia laws. They were aged 17, 11 and nine. How are those safeguards looking now?"

But David Walker says Senators Seselja and Bernardi were "dishonestly" playing the insufficient safeguards card.

Mr Walker, 75, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 15 years ago. Since then his independence has been slowly eroded by the disease.

He believes the question of safeguards is a "solvable problem", not a catchall for conservative politicians who want to stop voluntary euthanasia.

David Walker knows he will one day be bedridden by multiple sclerosis. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

"I feel it's a very dishonest cop-out. I can accept someone voting against it because of their religion, that's fair enough provided they admit it but playing the safeguards game is ridiculous. That shows a complete lack of respect for people," Mr Walker said.

Mr Walker acutely feels the loss of autonomy his condition has brought.

He gets professional help at home via an aged care package, for which he is intensely grateful.

His friends also pitch in, although they can't be at his beck-and-call all the time.

"It's the little things. If I have to go out, I have to arrange it with somebody, I have to give them notice," Mr Walker said.

"I've been interested in trams for years, I have albums of tram photos. I don't have a single photo of the Canberra tram. What I would have done if I could, I would have gone down Northbourne Avenue when it had the trees and taken a before and after photo. They're trivial things but they're irritating."

That restriction on his freedom has worn him down over the years.

He's stopped planning for the future and lives only for the present.

Mr Walker would not qualify for Victoria's incoming assisted dying scheme because his disease is not in its end stages, nor is he in great pain.

He said if voluntary assisted dying was legalised tomorrow, he'd want the pills but he wouldn't take them yet.

"I’m vaguely functional at the moment, I have good days and bad days but I'm angry at the arrogance of these people, saying we know what's best for you," Mr Walker said.

"My feeling is the people who actually say you've got to keep living, it's up to them to take responsibility and tell it to me face to face. At the point I become bedridden I expect one of these people who won't let me die to be on call for everything I want done."